05. September 2023

This unique 1917 Horlick’s calendar advertisement from our collection depicts a martial scene that actually takes us all the way back to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Get ready for an immortal story about the mightiest of men, war, loyalty and... warm milk.

17. April 2023

These artefacts from our collection tell the history of an infant formula brand, that by itself would not be particularly noteworthy in China. A 1936 law suit in Shanghai involving Cow & Gate, however reveals the impressive stunts and dirty tricks its ad agency and distributors pulled off…

30. May 2022

The Eagle Brand can be traced to 1856, when Gail Borden introduced condensed milk as the flagship product of his newly formed dairy company. In Asia the brand was licensed by the Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company and, in 1874, became the first registered trademark in the then-British colony of Hong Kong. On the mainland the "Fēiyīng" (飞鹰) brand was protected by a “proclamation issued by the Taotai in the ninth moon of the thirtieths year of Kuang Hsü”, meaning the...

17. January 2020

Gail Borden invented the process to create condensed milk in 1853. Nestlé licenced the product and in 1874 "EAGLE Sweetened Condensed Milk by assignment of the Borden company", was the first brand ever to be trademarked and sold in China by Nestlé. A Nestlé sales office was later opened in Shanghai in 1908.

24. October 2019

Very nice example of early branded content marketing to drive consumer education and engagement: A 1930's Nestlé Lactogen baby care guidebook for young Chinese mothers. The Lactogen brand was first introduced in 1919 and Nestlés history in China goes back to 1908 when it opened it's first distribution office in Shanghai.